CONTENTS

Possession.-V. 'Arden of Feversham '-Difficulty of deal-

ing with it-Its Unmitigated Horror-Fidelity to Holinshed's

Chronicle-Intense Nature of its Imaginative Realism--

Character of Arden-Character of Mosbie-A Gallery of

Scoundrels-Two Types of Murderers-Michael's Terror-

Alice Arden-Her Relation to some Women of Shakspere-

Development of her Murderous Intention-Quarrel with

Mosbie-The Crescendo of her Passion-Redeeming Points

in her Character-Incidents and Episodes.-VI. 'A Woman

Killed with Kindness '-The Gentleness of this Tragedy--

The Plot-Italian Underplot adapted to English Life-Cha-

racter of Mr. Frankford-The Scene in the Bedchamber-

Character of Mrs. Frankford-Wendoll-Question regarding

the Moral Tone of the Last Act-Religious Sentiment-VII.

'Witch of Edmonton '-Its Joint-Authorship The Story-

Female Parts-Two Plays patched together-Mother Sawyer

-The Realistic Picture of an English Witch-Humane

Treatment of Witchcraft in this Play

xvii

PAGE

327

CHAPTER XII

TRAGEDY OF BLOOD

I. The Tough Fibres of a London Audience-Craving for Strong

Sensation-Specific Note of English Melodrama-Its Lyrical

and Pathetic Relief. II. Thomas Kyd-'Hieronymo' and

"The Spanish Tragedy '-Analysis of the Story-Stock

Ingredients of a Tragedy of Blood-The Ghost-The Villain

-The Romantic Lovers--Suicide, Murder, Insanity.-III.

Soliman and Perseda' -The Induction to this Play-' The

Tragedy of Hoffmann.'-IV. Marlowe's Use of this Form-

'The Jew of Malta'-Titus Andronicus'- -Lust's Dominion'

--Points of Resemblance between 'Hamlet' and 'The

Spanish Tragedy '-Use made by Marston, Webster, and

Tourneur of the Species-V. The Additions to The Spanish

Tragedy '-Did Jonson make them ?-Quotation from the

Scene of Hieronymo in the Garden

387

CHAPTER XIII

JOHN LYLY

I. The Publication of 'Euphues '-Its Two Parts--Outline of the

Story. II. It forms a Series of Short Treatises-Love-

Conduct--Education-A Book for Women.-III. Its Popu-

larity-The Spread of Euphuism-What we Mean by that

Word.-IV. Qualities of Medieval Taste- Allegory

a

Symbolism The Bestiaries-Qualities of Early Humanism

-Scholastic Subtleties-Petrarchistic Diction-Bad Taste in

Italy--Influence of Italian Literature-The Affectation of

the Sixteenth Century-Definition of Euphuism-Illustra-

tions.-V. Lyly becomes a Courtier-His Want of Success

-The Simplicity of his Dramatic Prose-The Beauty of the

Lyrics-The Novelty of his Court-Comedies.-VI. Eight

Pieces ascribed to Lyly-Six Played before Elizabeth-The

Allegories of their Classic Fables- Endimion '-Its Critique.

VII. Midas-Political Allusions-Sapho and Phao

-Elizabeth and Leicester '-Details of this Comedy.-VIII.

'Alexander and Campaspe'-Touch upon Greek Story-

Diogenes-A Dialogue on Love- The Lyrics.-IX. 'Galla-

thea-Its Relation to 'As you Like It'-'Love's Meta-

morphosis '-Its Relation to Jonson- Mother Bombie '-

'The Woman in the Moon.'-X. Lyly as a Master of his

Age-Influence on Shakspere-His Inventions

PAGE

399

CHAPTER XIV

GREENE, PEELE, NASH, AND LODGE

I. Playwrights in Possession of the Stage before Shakspere-

The Scholar-Poets-Jonson's Comparison of Shakspere with

his Peers-The Meaning of those Lines-Analysis of the Six

Scholar-Poets.-II. Men of Fair Birth and Good Education

-The Four Subjects of this Study.-III. The Romance of

Robert Greene's Life-His Autobiographical Novels-His

Miserable Death-The Criticism of his Character-His

Associates.-IV. Greene's Quarrel with Shakspere and the

Playing Companies-His Vicissitudes as a Playwright-His

Jealousy.-V. Greene's transient Popularity-Euphuistic

Novels Specimens of his Lyrics-Facility of Lyric Verse in

England. VI. Greene's Plays betray the Novelist - None

survive from the Period before Marlowe James IV. of

Scotland'—Its Induction The Character of Ida Friar

Bacon and Friar Bungay'-Florid Pedantry a Mark of

Greene's Style.-VII. Peele-Campbell's Criticism-His

Place among Contemporaries-Edward I.'-'Battle of

Alcazar'-' Old Wives' Tale '-Milton's 'Comus '. The

Arraignment of Paris' 'David and Bethsabe' - Non-

Dramatic Pieces by Peele. VIII. Thomas Nash-The

Satirist His Quarrel with Harvey-His Description of a

Bohemian Poet's Difficulties-The Isle of Dogs-His Part in

Dido, Queen of Carthage - Will Summer's Testament '—

Nash's Songs.-IX. Thomas Lodge-His Life-His Miscel-

laneous Writings-Wounds of Civil War,'-X. The Relative

Value of these Four Authors.

427

I. The Life of Marlowe-Catalogue of his Works.-II. The Father

of English Dramatic Poetry-He Fixes the Romantic Type---

Adopts the Popular Dramatic Form, the Blank Verse Metre

of the Scholars-He Transfigures both Form and Metre-

His Consciousness of his Vocation.-III. The History of

Blank Verse in England-Italian Precedent-Marlowe's

Predecessors-Modern and Classical Metrical Systems-

Quantity and Accent The Licentiate Iambic-Gascoigne's

Critique Marlowe's Innovations in Blank Verse-Pause-

Emphasis-Rhetoric a Key to good Blank Verse-The

Variety of Marlowe's Metre.-IV. His Transfiguration of

Tragedy-The Immediate Effect of his Improvements-He

marks an Epoch in the Drama.-V. Colossal Scale of

Marlowe's Works-Dramatisation of Ideals-Defect of

Humour-No Female Characters.-VI. Marlowe's Leading

Motive-The Impossible Amour-The Love of the Impossible

portrayed in the Guise-In Tamburlaine-In Faustus-In

Mortimer-Impossible Beauty-What would Marlowe have

made of Tannhäuser '?-Barabas-The Apotheosis of

Avarice.-VII. The Poet and Dramatist inseparable in

Marlowe Character of Tamburlaine.-VIII. The German

Faustiad-Its Northern Character-Psychological Analysis

inDoctor Faustus -The Teutonic Sceptic-Forbidden

Knowledge and Power-Grim Justice-Faustus and Mephis-

tophilis Last Hour of Faustus-Autobiographical Elements

inDoctor Faustus.'-IX. The Jew of Malta '-Shylock-

Spanish Source of the Story-An Episode of Spanish Humour

-Acting Qualities of Marlowe's Plays.-X. Edward II.'—

Shakspere and Marlowe in the Chronicle-Play-Variety of

Characters-Dialogue-The Opening of this Play-Gaveston

-Edward's Last Hours.-XI. The Massacre at Paris '-Its

Unfinished or Mangled Text-Tragedy of 'Dido'-Hyper-

bolical Ornament-Romantic and Classic Art.- XII. Marlowe

greater as a Poet than a Dramatist-His Reputation with

Contemporaries

PAGE

465

INDEX

. 537

SHAKSPERE'S PREDECESSORS

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTORY

Method of Inquiry-Chronological Limits-Unity of the Subject.II. Three Stages in Evolution of the Drama-Stage of Preparation and Formation-Closed by Marlowe-Stage of perfectly developed Type-Character of Shakspere's Art-Jonson and Fletcher-Stage of Gradual Decline.-III. The Law of Artistic Evolution-Illustrations from Gothic Architecture, Greek Drama, Italian Painting.-IV. The Problem for Criticism-In Biography-In History-Shakspere personifies English Genius in his Century-Criticism has to demonstrate this.-V. Chronology is scarcely helpful-Complexity of the Subject-Imperfection of our Drama as a Work of Art-Abundance of Materials for Studying all Three Stages-Unique Richness of our Dramatic Literature.-VI. Shakspere's Relation to his Age-To his Predecessors-To his Successors.-VII. Double Direction of English Literary Art-Jonson, Milton, Dryden, Pope-Spirit of the Elizabethan Epoch.-VIII. The Elizabethan Inspiration is exhausted in the Reign of Charles I.-Dramatists of the Restoration -Rise of the Novel-Place of Novelists in the Victorian Age.

IN attempting a survey of one of the great periods of literary history, the critic is met with a problem, upon his conception and solution of which will depend both method and distribution of material. This initial difficulty may be stated in the form of questions. What central point of view can be adopted? How shall the order of inquiry be determined? Do the phenomena to be considered suggest some natural classification; or must the semblance of a system be introduced by means of artificial manipulation?

B